The NFL Needs Its Villains Back

I’m not saying that last season wasn’t exciting. There were some great breakout performances, intriguing story lines and a well-played Super Bowl on both ends, but it was missing something. That one spice that takes the meal from good to groundbreaking just wasn’t there. We were missing the Patriots, and the NFL needs its villains back.

OK, yes, technically the Patriots played last season, but it was a different team than we have become accustomed to. When Tom Brady went down for the season in the very first game, it ruined more than fantasy seasons — it ruined the real one as well. With the Matt Cassel story line and the Patriots gutting out injuries to an 11-5 record, just missing the playoffs, they became — dare I say — likeable. We didn’t need likeable. What we needed was a villain.

Every hero needs a villain

In many ways, villains are more crucial than the heroes. Star Wars doesn’t become iconic without Darth Vader. Batman’s no good without the Joker and Penguin. Having the right bad guy to battle is what makes the fight interesting to begin with. When the blue-collar Steelers took on the Cinderella-story Cardinals in last year’s Super Bowl, it was a feel-good story no matter who ended up on top. It wasn’t like the year before, when the whole world became Giants fans, rooting against New England’s shot at perfection.

The Patriots had become the perfect antagonist too. They had a coach who wore distaste for the world on his face at all times, cheated to win and had the personality and fashion sense of a sewer rat. Their quarterback was the guy we all hated in high school; he was the pretty boy star who got the hottest girl in school, as if all the glory wasn’t enough for him. Then there was the diva wide receiver, a player so talented that he could write his own ticket to the Hall of Fame, except for the fact that he only seemed motivated with an equally talented quarterback at the helm.

An ordinary NFL team

But then Brady got hurt and the whole mojo of the team went out the window faster than Usain Bolt on Red Bull. They weren’t invincible anymore. When the Dolphins embarrassed them at home in the third game of the season, it became official; the Patriots weren’t bad, it was something much worse than that — they were ordinary.

So far this season, the return of the real New England Patriots has taken a backseat to the comeback stories of Brett Favre and Michael Vick. The reality of it all is that nobody knows how Brady’s knee is. It all hinges on their leader. If Brady isn’t himself, then we’ll see a slightly better version of last year’s team. But if he’s back for real, all we will need is a season opening drubbing of Buffalo before everyone goes, “Crap, the Patriots are good again.” Then we can go back to hating them.

A necessary evil

They aren’t necessarily evil, but they are a necessary evil. Sports are just more fun when you have a villain to chase. Victory is sweet, but it’s so much sweeter when it’s over Duke or Florida or the Yankees. Beating the Patriots used to mean something. Last year it meant that you did what you were supposed to. That giddy feeling was lost. Don’t you want the chance to have it back?

I mean, come on, what’s the point in wiping the smirk off Bill Belichick’s face if it was already gone to begin with?